２閣僚問責可決 自民の審議拒否は無理がある

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Apr. 22, 2012)
LDP's boycott of Diet deliberations unreasonable
２閣僚問責可決　自民の審議拒否は無理がある（4月21日付・読売社説）

The House of Councillors passed censure motions against Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Takeshi Maeda and Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka by majority votes at its plenary session on Friday.
　前田国土交通相と田中防衛相に対する問責決議が、参院本会議で野党の賛成多数により可決された。

This raised to six the total number of Cabinet ministers censured in the 2-1/2 years since the Democratic Party of Japan took power.
　民主党政権になってから２年半、問責された閣僚は６人にのぼる。

Even if adopted, a censure motion in the upper house has no legally binding power, unlike no-confidence motions in the House of Representatives. Under the banner of the nonbinding censure motions, however, the opposition parties are demanding Maeda and Tanaka be replaced.
　衆院の不信任決議と違って、参院の問責決議には法的拘束力がない。それなのに、野党は錦の御旗のようにして閣僚交代を迫る。

Such a malady, which is possible only in a divided Diet, should be rooted out.
衆参ねじれ国会を背景にした、こんな悪弊は断ち切るべきである。

The attitude of the Liberal Democratic Party is particularly problematic. The main opposition party has said it will boycott all deliberations until Maeda and Tanaka resign.
　とくに問題なのは自民党だ。前田、田中両氏が辞任するまで全面的に審議を拒否するという。

The LDP apparently expects Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to agree to Maeda and Tanaka's dismissal, since he seeks the party's cooperation in enacting the bill to raise the consumption tax rate.
　自民党は、野田首相が消費税率引き上げ関連法案で自民党に協力を求めている以上、両氏の更迭に応じると踏んでいるのだろう。

While in power, however, the LDP criticized opposition parties that boycotted Diet deliberations as "walking out on lawmakers' jobs." Has the LDP forgotten what it said?
　だが、自民党は政権の座にあった時には、「審議拒否は国会議員の職場放棄」と野党を批判していた。その言葉を忘れたのか。

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Futile conflict

It would not be so serious if the LDP boycotted deliberations at the final stage of the Diet session. However, the session is still only halfway completed and has a mountain of important bills to deliberate. Even some members of the party, including former LDP Secretary General Makoto Koga, have voiced doubt over the decision to boycott deliberations.
　国会終盤ならまだしも、重要法案の山積する会期半ばである。古賀誠元幹事長ら党内からも審議拒否を疑問視する声が出ている。

New Komeito said it would boycott deliberations only at committees that Maeda and Tanaka have jurisdiction over. The opposition parties' failure to move in step with one another shows the LDP's decision to boycott all Diet deliberations is unreasonable.
　公明党は、審議拒否を前田、田中両氏が所管する委員会にとどめる。野党の足並みの乱れを見ても、自民党の全面審議拒否に無理があるのは明らかだ。

In the past, the DPJ took advantage of censure motions many times. Even if the LDP returns to power in the next lower house election, it and Komeito still will not have a majority of seats at the upper house. The DPJ will likely take revenge in the same fashion. Such a futile conflict should not be repeated.
　問責決議は、かつて民主党も多用した。仮に自民党が次期衆院選で政権を奪還した場合、参院では公明党を含めても過半数はない。民主党は意趣返ししよう。不毛な争いを繰り返すべきではない。

The prime minister has expressed his intention to keep Maeda and Tanaka at their posts. Noda apparently believes the LDP will have no choice but to return to deliberations if public criticism mounts against their boycott. It is like an endurance contest.
　野田首相は、前田、田中両氏を続投させる意向を示している。審議拒否への批判が高まれば、自民党も審議に復帰せざるを得なくなる、との読みもあるのだろう。まさに「我慢比べ」の様相だ。

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Maeda, Tanaka problematic

However, it is undeniable there are serious problems with Maeda and Tanaka.
　ただ、両氏に大きな問題があることは否定できまい。

Maeda signed a document calling for support of a particular candidate in the mayoral election in Gero, Gifu Prefecture, and sent it in an official envelope to a senior member of a local association of construction companies.
　前田氏は岐阜県下呂市長選で、特定の立候補予定者への支援を依頼する署名入り文書を建設業協会幹部に公用封筒で送っていた。

The censure motion against him claimed Maeda should not stay at his post because his action violated the Public Offices Election Law, which prohibits preelection campaigning as well as using the influence of one's official position in an election.
　問責決議は、この行為を地位利用や事前運動を禁じた公職選挙法に抵触するとし、閣僚にとどまるべきではない、と断じた。

Meanwhile, the censure motion against Tanaka referred to turmoil caused by the government's response to North Korea's ballistic missile launch as "a fiasco that cannot be overlooked."
　田中氏に関しては、北朝鮮のミサイル発射に対する対処の混乱を「看過できない失態」とした。

It also said Tanaka is "not nearly qualified" to be defense minster because he has made many mistakes, including his unprofessional responses to questions at the Diet.
　素人丸出しの国会答弁など、数々の不手際もあって、防衛相として「資質が著しく欠ける」とも批判している。

It is imperative to hold Noda responsible for appointing Tanaka to the post.
　野田首相は、任命責任を問われても仕方がない。

Tanaka is the second censured defense minister in the Noda Cabinet, following Yasuo Ichikawa. Noda has been too naive in his choice of ministers in charge of national security.
　野田政権で防衛相への問責は一川保夫氏に続いて２人目だ。安全保障を担う閣僚の人事について、首相の認識は甘過ぎる。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 21, 2012)
（2012年4月21日01時41分 読売新聞）